The most common cycads ( pronounced, si'kad ) in our landscapes
are the King Sago "Palm", and the Cardboard " Palm".
However, these plants are in no way related to palms. Cycads are
an ancient group of plants that date back 250 million years. Cycads
are cone bearing plants that are more closely related to pine
trees than palms. Palms did not even show up on Earth for another
150 million years. During the age of the dinosaurs, the cycads
were the most prevalent plants on Earth.
Cycads are dioecious plants, or in other words, there are separate
male and female plants. The female plant produces the seeds, and
the male produces cones with pollen in them. Many of the cones
on cycads are very ornamental, like the red cone on the Encephalartos
ferox in the left corner.
One of the reasons why cycads have survived all this time, is
that they can grow in very harsh conditions. Many plants in habitat,
grow in sand or even on rock. Some can withstand hard freezes
every year, as well as snow. Others, live in areas that have no
more rain than a couple of inches per year. With our sandy soils
here in Florida, it is hard to grow many types of plants. Cycads
make the perfect, easy to maintain plants for our landscapes.
In fact, we have a cycad that is native to Florida. The common
name for the plant is "coontie", which is a Seminole
name. These plants are used to the Florida weather and thrive
in our sandy soils. They can grow in the shade, or in full sun.
Many cycads are also salt tolerant. Dioon edule, the plant in
the right corner, is probably the most cold hardy of all the cycads.
In the 1989 freeze, parts of Lakeland Florida had 17°F for
a low temperature. Most all the King Sagos totally defoliated,
while the Dioon edule only got tip burn. In a particular habitat
in Mexico, the Dioons hang over a cliff, and are constantly hit
with salt spray from the gulf.
In many areas of the United States, and all over the world, cycads
are considered to be somewhat of a status symbol. Cycads can live
as long as 2500 years. An old plant can be worth thousands of
dollars. Cycads can help you increase the worth of your landscape,
and your property. As an example, if you planted two medium sized
King Sagos in a new landscape today, in ten years your landscape
would be worth a thousand dollars more.
There are many unusual cycads that are perfect for our soils and
our weather. These plants can set your landscapes apart from everybody
else's on the block. You can also use them near your private sitting
area, where you can sit back and enjoy a plant that has been around
for millions of years.
